Pop a petal in your prosecco!
And other novel ways to perk up your summer tipples . . .
PLANNING to take advantage of the long nights with a garden party? You’re in luck.
Fabulous new drinks perfect for warm weather are popping up everywhere — from prosecco infused with rose gold, to popsicles made from rosé wine and giant ice cubes. Even the punch bowl is back in fashion! Here,
MANDY FRANCIS picks the best of this season’s drinks . . .
ALL THAT GLITTERS
TURN a glass of supermarket prosecco into a flute of glittering pink fizz with PopaBall’s Rose Gold Shimmer for Prosecco (€7.95, lakeland.co.uk). Add a teaspoon of glitter powder to a glass of bubbly. Your drink will swirl into a raspberry-flavoured, pink-gold shimmer.
NICELY ICED
DECORATIVE oversize ice cubes melt much more slowly than regular-sized cubes, keeping drinks colder for longer, without diluting them.
The Zoku Mixology Set (€22.50, johnlewis.com) allows you to make three, geometric ice lumps, which fit neatly into a tumbler.
The Ice Balls kit (€11.50, thechampagnecompany.com) makes four ice spheres.
Alix Nardella, mixologist for Mr Black Spirits, recommends freezing edible flowers, herbs and berries in ice cubes for a pretty effect and subtle taste.
An alternative to ice and a slice, Lakeland’s clever Citrus Ice Cube Infuser (€11.50, lake
land.co.uk) is a lemon juicer with two ice cube trays underneath. When you juice a lemon or lime, the juice flows into the trays to be frozen as wedgeshaped citrus ice cubes — perfect for pepping up cocktails.
FLAVOUR SAVIOURS
THE last few years have seen a dramatic surge in interest in cocktail bitters. A drop or two of well-chosen aromatics can hugely enhance the taste of any drink, and there are lots of new brands and formulas to try.
The Dr Adam Elmegirab range of bitters (€10 for 10ml, the
whiskyexchange.com) includes Teapot bitters, a blend of tea, hazelnuts, citrus peel and ginger, perfect with rum. Fee Brothers Peach bitters (€11.89,
masterofmalt.com) would work well dashed on a brown sugar cube and left to dissolve in the bottom of a glass of bubbly.
FROSÉ POPSICLES
ALCOHOL-INFUSED lollies are a lovely addition to a garden party or barbecue. Lolly-makers Pops have just launched a delicious Frosé popsicle, blending rosé wine and raspberries, and a Watermelon Martini ice lolly this year — these and other flavours available in Balfes allday dining, Dublin 2.
And luxury ice cream store Scoops in Ranelagh and Aungier Street is selling a limited edition Gin & Tonic gelato, infused with Hendricks gin and Fever tonic.
If you fancy making your own cocktail popsicles, the recipes in The Poptail Manual: Over 90 Delicious Frozen Cocktails, by Kathy Kordalis, may inspire you (€5.20, amazon.ie).
SERVE WITH STYLE
DRINKS should be served with a flourish this summer, says Tom Noori of the Door 4 cocktail bar. Punch and cocktails served with ladles and cups, such as the LSA International Bar Punch Bowl Set (€96.50,
johnlewis.com), are making a comeback, he says.
You could also bring a taste of the outside inside by serving cocktails from a watering can, such as the 1.5l one from All Things Brighton Beautiful (€20.35, notonthehighstreet.
com). And cocktail bowls that look like small fish bowls (€1.50 each, dealz.ie) look lovely dressed with a paper umbrella and colourful straw.
If you’re holding a party, don’t be afraid to go wild with accessories. Flamingo straws, cocktail stirrers and pineapple cups can be found in supermarkets.
Finally, for a bit of fun, why not turn your drinks into bubbles? Bubble Lick Edible Bubbles (€15.59 for six 25ml bottles,
firebox.com) turn any liquid into bubbles you can lick out of the air. Fill the bottle with your drink of choice, shake, then use the wand to surround yourself and your guests with alcohol-infused bubbles.